Highly efficient hydrogen evolution of Ni3S2-MoS2@CoMoO4/NF from in situ reaction of metal-organic framework in alkaline media

Hydrogen energy, as the most promising renewable resource in the future, is severely limited in its development due to electrocatalysts, so the preparation of highly efficient and low-cost non-precious-metal catalysts is crucial for large-scale hydrogen production via electrolysis of water. Herein, Ni3S2−MoS2@CoMoO4/NF was successfully synthesized for the first time by in situ ion-exchange reaction and sulfidation reaction using Co-MOF/NF as a template. The electrochemical tests revealed that the overpotential was only 62.4 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which was similar to that of the noble metal Pt sheet electrode, the long-term durability of the catalysts was more than 24 h at a constant potential, which demonstrated that the catalysts possessed excellent HER performance in alkaline media. In addition, XPS, SEM, XRD, and Raman characterization also demonstrated the successful growth and loading of Ni3S2, MoS2, and CoMoO4. In this study, transition metal sulfides and transition metal sulfide complexes with good electrochemical properties were prepared using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as precursors, providing a new idea for the preparation of HER catalysts with high activity in alkaline media.